Bass Tidbit .25

Fishing ?deep? for bass.

First, you have to determine how ?deep? means ?deep? for you.

For my part, I consider deep FLY fishing to be anything under 15 feet, and I won?t fish deeper than 25 feet with a fly rod, primarily because I don?t enjoy it. You can fish down to fifty feet with a fast sinking line, if you are so inclined.

The first thing you have to do to fish ?deep?, is get your fly down there. To get a fly down that deep, you need either a sinking line, or a long leader and a weighted fly. A fly with a decent sized lead eyes or a good bit of lead wrapped on the shank, WILL take your floating line down, if you want to wait for it to do so. A sinking line, or sinking tip will make this process faster, but understand that how a fly moves is effected by the ?type? of line you use.

For bass fishing in deep water, if you want to use a full sinking line, buy the fastest sinking line that your rod can throw. You want your fly to get to the bottom. The faster it does this, the more time the fly will spend where the fish are, and the more fish you will catch. (Slower sinking lines have their place, this isn?t it)

Use of a full sinking line will cause a weighted or non-buoyant fly to ?follow? the line. You control how deep you are fishing by counting the line down, and if fished with a relatively slow retrieve, the fly will hold this depth until the line angle is effected by the upwards pull of the rod. This is the line to use when you want the fly to move horizontally across the bottom (or at any selected level in the water column). You can also use a buoyant fly with a sinking line to get the ?dive then rise? retrieve.

Using a long leader with a weighted fly on a floating line may seem ?backwards?, but it can be very effective to about 15 feet. You want a LONG leader, at least 15 to 20 feet (I don?t care about casting distance, that?s not important for this style of fishing). This gives you the ?lift and drop? retrieve, and it?s a great way to target bass holding along a deep weed line or linear structure break. Cast parallel, let the fly sink, and retrieve with sharp strips allowing the fly to sink back to the bottom after each movement. The fly fishermen?s answer to jig fishing.

You can do similar things with sinking tip lines, but the rise and drop isn?t as sharp. Easier to cast, though.

When fishing the bottom with a fly rod, the ?drag?, or water resistance, of that thick fly line plays a part in where you fly actually ?is? in relation to where you?ve cast it and where you?ve ?fished? it. If you count down a full sink line to the bottom, it will still turn and come up at an angle toward the rod tip when the line gets closer to you. Not a problem fishing from shore, but if you are in a boat, it will cut 25% to 40% off of your ?effective? cast length, the variables being the depth of the water, the density of the line, and speed of the retrieve. Long casts are nice here, but just be aware of ?where? you are casting. If you are too ?close? to your target, the fly could easily be on the way ?up? before it gets there. Figure out the ?sweet spot? for your particular cast, and try to keep your target zone within that range.

Good Luck!

Buddy

(I?ll get to deep fly design next time?)